Graduating from college with a degree in Metalsmithing has led to many delightful adventures where I learned from the best jewelry and lapidary teachers in the country. Studying and apprenticing under several master jewelers, I have learned that having a great teacher makes all the difference. My passion, fascination and addiction to gemstones, moving metal and playing with fire is apparent in the variety of techniques I use in my jewelry studio.

I learned to love working with my hands from my father, a pilot, who was also an accomplished mechanic and woodworker. I was introduced to welding as a teenager by the aircraft mechanics at the local airport. Initially, I welded to build and repair cars, but quickly became enamored with the amazing strength and beauty of welded metal structures and started welding for the sheer joy of the creative process.

Growing up in Durham was an adventure. There was a quality to it that you could not find in any other city. It had a starving artist charm that drew you in and kept you here, no matter how hard the lifestyle could be. This place challenged me to become an artist and represent the growing culture that Durham is quickly creating for itself. After leaving Durham for a few years to attend East Carolina University and acquire my BFA in sculpture it wasn’t hard to make the decision to return to my hometown.

Kara Garrett is an artist living and working in Durham, NC. She began her art degree in 1989 in the BFA program at Arizona State University before taking a 17-year hiatus from her education to raise her two sons. Kara now holds a BA in Studio Art with a focus in printmaking from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (2014). She has had her prints featured in a solo show at the Ann Flack Boseman Gallery in Wilmington, NC, as well as several group shows. She works mostly in screen printing and relief but also prints using varied intaglio processes.

David S. Huber has been working as a full-time freelance artist since 2007. Since 2012, he has making fine artisan pipes made of Mediterranean briar. David’s work has been the feature of an eight-page spread in Pipes & Tobaccos magazine, and has been interviewed as an industry expert guest on both radio and print. His work has drawn the attention of many highly revered pipe artisans and collectors in the world.